A federal judge has suspended a recently passed law that would have prohibited federal agents from wearing masks while carrying out operations or making arrests, drawing sharp criticism from human rights advocates who say the ruling undermines police accountability.
In her decision, the judge argued that the measure was ineffective, as it applied only to federal officers and excluded state and local law enforcement agencies.
Human rights organizations have condemned the suspension, describing it as a setback for transparency as the use of masks makes it difficult to identify agents accused of misconduct or excessive use of force.
As an alternative, the judge ordered that agents must carry and present official identification cards from their respective agencies during operations.
